Title What Thunderbolt / Luke 13:1-5
Yesterday, an American airliner that was crossing the Atlantic Ocean exploded in mid-air, killing all more than 200 people on board. Although the cause of the accident has not yet been clearly identified, it must have been an unexpected and major disaster. This text is a lesson for those who are faced with such calamities.
First, not all believers are necessarily immune from the calamities of unforeseen.
Those who wanted to trap Jesus came to him and told him about recent events in the temple. Some Galileans went to the temple in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to God. While they were preparing sheep or goats and carrying out the sacrificial process, soldiers under the orders of the Roman governor Pilate came and killed them on the spot and mixed their blood with the sacrifice.
The Galileans who were sacrificed were God-fearing people. They were offering sacrifices in the temple. I was worshiping God. It was not at any other time, but at such a reverent time as the disaster of unrighteousness.
It has already been several years, but there was a person I knew who was hit by a car at a crosswalk and lost their life while attending early morning prayer. She was a young housewife who had a hard life of faith. How pitiful is the plight of the husband and two young children left behind? The time of the accident was not another time, but a time when we were striving for a godly life, so how should we understand it? Wouldn't you be thinking, "God, is this what you mean? It's too savage."
A few weeks ago, the deacon of Pyeongtaek Church, who was operating in a private taxi, went missing, but was later found dead with an egg. I heard that he was a person who conducted praise in the church and devoted himself in many ways. God, you live, how could this be? Not a sparrow falls to the ground unless it is your will, so is it your will to die so tragic?
To be honest, we are in an embarrassing position when we hear such disaster news. We try to accept it by faith, but we are often helpless by the malicious utterances of unbelievers around us. What attitude should we take when we see these unjust disasters or disasters that befall believers?
First, remember that God's will is good (Romans 12:2). If the disaster was due to God's good will, we should rather be thankful to God. The Bible tells us to give thanks to God for everything. But is there really room for gratitude in that case? I believe there is. The taxi robbers were after one person. If that deacon had not been sacrificed, surely someone else would have been sacrificed. In other words, his death became a sacrificial death on behalf of others. I didn't mean to die like that, but it was because of God's good will that I suffered such a death. Surely that death will be recognized by God as a noble death. God values the death of the saints.
“The death of the saints is dear to the Lord” (Psalm 116:15).
To our people, it is considered a dog death, a futile death, and a tragic death, but in God's eyes, that death is a precious death.
We should not expect to discover the hidden meaning of suffering, great and small, that also affects believers. To give such a lesson, the book of Job was written in the Bible. Job never realized the meaning of his suffering. Even God did not reveal its meaning to him.
Disasters in life are by no means strange.
“Life is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward” (John 15:7).
As long as we live in this sinful world, we cannot be exempt from suffering. But what is clear is that God protects believers from various dangers. And, by God's special providence, disasters are sometimes allowed for believers, but it is far less than what happens to unbelievers. Praise God for this fact.
Second, not all disasters are necessarily caused by the direct sin of the victim.
The Jews believed that all unrighteous calamities and sufferings inflicted upon individuals were due to serious sins. It is a belief that stems from the belief that God cannot but judge sin because he is holy, and that he does not inflict pain on innocent people because he is good. Jesus' disciples were no exception. Prior to the text, the disciples were walking along the road with Jesus when they saw a man who had been blind from birth. Then they said to Jesus, "Who sinned that this man was born blind, or his or his parents?" and asked a question (John 9:2).
The Bible emphasizes God's judgment on sin countless times. God does not only deal with people's sins in the judgment of the last days, but also carries out many judgments in this world. He caused the Flood to judge the people of Noah's day. To punish the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, He poured fire and brimstone from heaven. It wasn't just about judging groups. Individuals were also judged. King Herod, who stole God's glory, was judged by God and died from being eaten by worms (Acts 12:23). The children who made fun of Elisha, a man of God, were judged and killed by lions. King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonian Empire was ignorant of the heights of heaven and acted arrogantly, but suddenly became a madman and became like a beast. He also punishes believers for their sins. However, not all disasters are caused by the direct sin of the victim.
Jesus answered the disciples' question, "It was not that this man or his parents sinned, but that the works of God might be revealed in him." Jesus never denied that suffering comes because of sin. While the Jews believed that one reason for suffering was sin, Jesus was saying that there could be other reasons besides that. Even considering the case of the deacon of the Pyeongtaek Church or the sister who was in a car accident, I want to believe that it is not a personal sin and there must be other reasons.
It could be said that it was because of their sins that the Galileans suffered catastrophe in the temple. They may have been the ones who revolted against Roman rule. Like Barabbas, he may have killed not only the Roman soldiers but also his people. Therefore, this event may not be suitable to correct the Jewish misconceptions about calamity. To avoid any misunderstanding, Jesus referred to another event well known to the people of Jerusalem. There was an incident where a tower by the pool of Siloam suddenly collapsed and 18 people there were crushed to death. Obviously, in the case of those victims, it cannot be said that their sins were directly responsible.
Third, not everyone necessarily learns lessons from disasters.
It is also necessary to identify the cause of the disaster and to determine who is responsible for the disaster. But more importantly, those who watch it learn a lesson from the disaster. Jesus also emphasized that point. Look at what he said.
"Do you know that these Galileans are more guilty than all Galileans by being harmed in this way? No, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (verses 2-3).
“Do you also think that the eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell and died were more guilty than all those who lived in Jerusalem… No, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (verses 4-5).
We do not know what God's will is for the victims to suffer. Since they are human too, it is natural that they have sinned, but that does not mean that they have sinned more than others. Only God will know what the cause is.
Jesus said, "Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." This means that whenever we come across such news, we should examine ourselves and use it as an opportunity to repent. We don't know what will happen tomorrow. You never know when something will happen and you will be called before God. Therefore, we should strive to be vigilant and live a life with no regrets.
Twice the Lord emphasized repentance. We forget the catastrophes happening around us too easily and too quickly. The same could happen to me if I did not repent.
If unbelievers do not repent, they will be judged and suffer eternally in the lake of fire of hell.
If a believer does not repent, he will meet the Lord in shame.
The ship was stranded. There was only one survivor. The person was pushed by the waves and arrived on a small, deserted island. Falling into a predicament, he fervently cried out to God to save him, and watched every day to see if another ship might be seen. He built a clumsy hut and put some items recovered from the stranded ship.
One day while looking for something to eat, when I saw the hut burning and smoking, I was sad and did not know what to do. The hut quickly turned to ashes. The worst has happened.
But the answer to prayer has come! The next day, a boat arrived early. The man who was isolated on the island asked how he had come to rescue him. The captain replied:
"We've seen your performance."
Perhaps they were involved in some riot. Whether or not they had any judicial guilt, the atrocities in the temple were unimaginable for the Jews. The temple was the center of Jewish life. Blasphemy against temple sacrifices is blasphemy against God. It is the contempt of a powerful country for its own people. All of them harbored national resentment.
Their intention was to entangle Jesus with his position on the matter. If Jesus condemned the atrocities of the Roman soldiers, Pilate would be immediately arrested and punished for instigating the people. It would be blasphemy, though, because sympathizing with those who were executed would be blaming God for unrighteousness. He will go against the Jewish national sentiment head-on, and his reputation will be crushed to the ground in an instant.